A Syrian refugee resettled in the US gets an oud

Imagine having your life turned upside down by civil war. Then imagine being forced to move 6,000 miles away from everything you know in search of safety. Moutaz Rashdan was only 12 years old when he and his family escaped Syria.

Women Physicians for Humanity Assists Refugee Boy on a Special Project

Imagine having your life turned upside down by civil war. Then imagine being forced to move 6,000 miles away from everything you know in search of safety. Moutaz Rashdan was only 12 years old when he and his family escaped Syria. 4 years later they were resettled in the United States. It was here that he met Women Physicians for Humanity (WP4H) cofounder Ayesha Fatima.

Moutaz Rashdan was only 12 years old when he and his family escaped Syria. 4 years later they were resettled in the United States…

Ayesha learned that Moutaz’s 23 year old cousin had been killed in the war when his university was bombed. At the time of his death he had been teaching Moutaz how to play the oud (a stringed instrument similar to the guitar commonly used to play Middle Eastern music). Moutaz wanted nothing more than to honor his cousin’s memory by continuing his oud lessons.

Having worked with many refugees in the past, Ayesha knew the importance of small familiar comforts to their mental health and wellbeing. A fundraiser was quickly set up via the WP4H Facebook page and, remarkably, over $200 was raised in just one day. Moutaz received his gift and was also given free oud lessons by an instructor at the Arab National Museum. He has been working with his instructor since November 2015 and his family hopes that he will soon be able to use his talent as a source of sustainable income. Women Physicians for Humanity is happy to have been a part of Moutaz’s journey and we look forward to seeing him succeed in all this future endeavors.